ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Thirty One -- Will and Dean

They sat together on the sofa, TV on. 

It was weird, not having Dick Clark with the ball deal.

"You ever want to go out there for New Year’s Eve, cowboy?" Will asked, knowing the answer without even asking.

"Me?" Dean’s eyes went wide. "Oh, Christ, Ace, me with all them folks? I’d lose it, sure as shit. I like our New Years. The black-eyed peas are soaking, the ham’s ready for the smoker. We got beer and munchies and we can two-step, iff’n you want." One gnarled hand grabbed his, squeezed. "You want to head out next year. I’d do it, if you needed."

"Pshaw. I was just asking. You want to play cards for a bit? We still got twenty minutes and I don’t know any of the new music."

"That’s because we’re getting old, Ace." Dean looked about as satisfied as a cowboy could be.

"Couldn’t happen to better cowboys."

Happy New Year to them.

 

And to you. :D

Dean and Will’s story is Latigo.

Much love, y’all. My wish is a blessed 2014 for all.

BA

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Thirty -- Cord and Dakota

"Get up, little bear." 

Cord’s mate snorted and turned over, dragging the covers over him. Between losing his sight and hibernating, Kota wasn’t being the most jolly bear in history and, for the most part, Cord got it. 

He did.

Hell, he was sleeping nineteen hours a day himself.

Still...

"Get up. Santa came days ago and you didn’t come to…" See? Oh, that would start a fuss. "…open your goodies."

"Sleeping."

He pulled the cover off the plate of tea and honey buns with raspberries, the scent guaranteed to wake up a recalcitrant bear, and Kota’s eyes opened, nose wrinkling. "Did you open yours? I got you something. Luc helped."

"I was waiting for you, love." 

He would always wait. 

"Come have a treat with me. I need you."

Somehow the words got through, this time and Dakota sat up, stretched. 

Oh, Christmas could finally come.

 

Cord and Dakota appear in Cereus: Training

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Nine -- Cian/Boone and Terry/Jackson

"Are they coming?" Boone paced from door to window. "They flew up, didn’t they? Aren’t they coming?"

"Boone." Cian’s voice was calm as still water. "Jackson said they were coming, they’ll be here."

"I’ve never been so long without seeing him, he’s part of my pack." And Cian was his Mate and he wanted them both for the holidays. Cian had promised.

"I know." Arms opened to him and he pounced, loving the way his vampire went 'oof'.

"Anybody home?" Jackson’s voice rang out, happy and cheerful as fuck.

"TERRY!"

He spun just in time for his best friend and pack mate to wrap around him, smelling of snow and pine and home and happiness.

They held on tight, rocking together, all the spots inside Boone made of missing Terry filling with a pop.

Oh, they’d come. They had, just like his Cian had promised.

Life was good.

 

Cian, Boone, Terry and Jackson appear in Cereus: Training.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Eight -- Les/Rosie

Les stormed into the chocolate shop at five p.m. on Christmas Eve, frowning deep. "Why is the front door unlocked?"

Rosie looked at him, her sweet face pale and tired-looking. This whole fucking retail store during the holidays thing sucked.

Big hairy rocks.

This was their time, not every frigging tourist in Steamboat. 

"I was about to…" She said.

The door opened and he turned and growled. "We’re closed. It’s Christmas. Go home."

Treeni, the lady that owned the hat shop next door blinked, then cracked up. "You know it. I brought you tamales and chili and cheese for supper tonight, so no one had to cook."

Rosie burst into tears. "Thank you. Thank you, huh?"

Treeni rolled her eyes, nodded. "Take her home, cowboy. Hell season is over."

Les wrapped Rose in his arms and held her close. Next year, he was hiring folks to help, no matter with his girl said.

Christmas eve wasn’t for crying.

Les and Rosie are from Picking Roses

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Seven -- Addie/Bodie

Addie looked at the sky. "Bodie, it’s going to ice."

"Uh-huh." Her cowboy didn’t look nearly worried enough for her liking.

"We have to go to the Dads tonight."

"Uh-huh."

She was going to hit him.

Hard.

She went back to looking at the sky. Her dads had a big party planned tonight. Their late Christmas. Maddie was going to be there, Bodie’s family, everyone.

"I’m going to start packing the truck."

"Baby, it’s an eight minute drive and we’re not due there for four hours."

"Still."

Warm hands wrapped around her hips, pulling her into his heat. "I will get you there."

The words were sure, solid and Addie found herself nodding. "I know."

Still, she’d make them a thermos of coffee and charge her phone for the trip, just in case.

***

Addie and Bodie are the first in the One Horse Town series, Mr. Unlucky.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Six -- Calleigh/Packer/Adrian

Adrian stared at the chaos.

It was like...

How could two babies, two cowboys and the hottest woman on earth make such a mess?

Calleigh came by, baby in one hand, trash bag in the other. 

"Woman, you are not throwing my girls away!" Adrian grabbed the bag playfully. "Also, what have you done with the spare?"

"Trash bag?" she teased.

"Daughter."

Calleigh cackled. "Pack’s changing her. I think she ate too many crayons."

Adrian paled. Marlena was going to be trouble. He could tell. His Helena was an angel.

An angel that gave out the loudest wettest fart in the history of the earth.

"Pack. Stay where you are, Mom’s coming with another!"

He was going to pick up wrapping paper.

***

These guys are that rarest of things, a menage in the Roughstock world and can be found in What She Wants.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Five -- Coke/Dillon

Dillon woke up at six am, just so excited that he could barely breathe. Christmas.

It was Christmas.

He knew it was silly — he was well beyond the age of surprises and Coke was generous, but not the sneakiest man he’d ever met, to be honest. The man just asked him what he wanted, wrapped it, and put it under the tree, still...

Christmas.

"Coke! Coke, merry Christmas!" He reached out to wake his lover up and… Coke wasn’t there.

Huh.

Weird.

Really.

He slipped out of bed, the click-clack of Jerome’s claws following him immediately. "Coke? Babe? You okay?"

Dillon walked out into the front room and gasped. The tree was there, but with twice the lights on it, presents that he hadn’t even seen before stacked high. There was a table set, with dishes and cranberry bread and a carafe of coffee. Coke was in his chair wrapped in a blanket, sound asleep, holding Pansy by the collar to keep her in the Good Dog mode.  

"Quit staring at the table, evil girl."

Coke eyes popped open, unfocused and bloodshot. "All I got to do is start the bacon for Santa."

Dillon bust out laughing and pushed into Coke’s arms. "Merry Christmas to you, too, babe."

***

MERRY CHRISTMAS, Y’ALL! :D :D :D :D :D

Coke and Dillon can be found in And a Smile

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Four (MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE) -- Shane and Galen

"Len. Len, look." 

Shane was standing on the deck of Wade’s boat, staring up into the sky, eyes huge. 

He went to his lover, looking up too, eyes searching the inky black sky. "What, darlin’?"

"The stars. It’s like… It’s like God’s decorated with twinkly lights, man, just for you and me."

Galen’s heart clenched and he nodded. He’d buy that, especially with Shane in his arms, both of them in the middle of the ocean together, floating. How could the good Lord not celebrate?

"Alleluia."

***

Galen and Shane’s story starts in Rain and Whiskey

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Three -- Stone/Derrick

Stone headed in from the barn, stomping the snow off his books. Christ on a crutch, look at that shit come down.

The house was lit up, though, and the chimney was doing its thing. Derrick’s truck was back, and the man was carrying groceries, so he ran to help. "You get everything?"

"Stuff for cookies, a turkey, taters, sweet feed, kibbles, bacon, coffee. All the things so we can just spend the next week in, iff’n the weather don’t break."

"Good deal." He’d had all Derrick’s presents delivered, already wrapped up and he’d pulled down the last of the tree trimming shit yesterday.

Derrick grinned at him, the snow catching in the man’s mustache. "It is. It’s a damn good deal."

Stone grabbed the turkey. "Uh-huh. There’s a box for you on the front porch, when we got the stuff in."

Every fan needed a moving, lit-up, bull rider dressed like Santa for their yard, after all, right?

*** 

Stone and Derrick were in my 2012 Christmas story: Adding to the Collection.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty Two -- Rene/Bartholome

"What if they all hate me?" Rene’s pale eyes moved over the others, a deep sorrow radiating from them. The holiday gathering was important and all the clans were there, dozens of them, greeting and laughing and celebrating together.

"They wouldn’t dare, phantome. You’re mine and I won’t have it." He grinned down. "Besides, why wouldn’t they care for you? You’re…" Amazing. Beautiful. Charming. Lovely. Perfect. "…you."

Not only that, but Bartholome would eat anyone alive who dared upset his pup.

"Me, hmm?" Rene’s hand slid into his, fingers twining and holding on. 

He nodded. Absolutely. 

***

Bartholome and Rene live in Absinthe (cowritten with Julia Talbot)

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty One -- Cotton/Emmy

"Momma, I’m worried about Em. She’s as sore as a bear with a sore paw." She’d snarled at him for the last few events and then had flown to Vegas to spend a girls’ weekend with the clown before coming home and just crashing like a lead balloon. It was Christmastime, time to be all jolly and shit, not weird.

The clown, for fuck’s sake.

"Well, son, were you mean to her?"

"No!" Why was it always his fault? "Hell, we ain’t even had words except that I told her if she didn’t stop puking I was taking her to Doc for heartburn meds. What if she’s got an ulcer, Momma? What if she’s sick?" 

His voice was getting louder and he wasn’t proud to admit he was a little shrill.

"Well, son…"

"I’m not sick, Cotton." Emmy stood in the doorway, wearing a huge t-shirt, her makeup all running from crying.

"What?"

"Not sick, you giant dork."

She set something down on the table and walked away, leaving it for him.

It was a note and all it said was, "Due in August".

"Oh, Jesus."

"Cotton?" 

"She’s not sick, Momma. I mean, Granny. I mean, I gotta go."

He needed to find them another stocking. A little bitty one.

After he loved on his girl.

***

Cotton and Emmy were the first het Roughstock couple, featured in City/Country

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twenty -- Wendy/Brett

Wendy looked at her pack, at her mate. Yule was here and everyone was home for the holiday — old and young, hale and infirm. The big house smelled of turkey and venison, of sweets and of potatoes. Everything was decorated to the nines and she was in the new gown Brett had made for her, the fabric flowing over her growing belly.

Dark eyes met hers and her mate smiled, jogging up the stairs to lead her down to greet her family.

"Am I late for the feast, love?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Just in time, beloved. Just in time."

***

Wendy and Brett are in the second book for the Call series: Alpha Call

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Nineteen -- Adam/Landon

"Adam." Chrissy looked…apoplectic.

"What did Landon do now? Is Granny okay?" His lover had convinced Granny to go to town and take pole dancing lessons. Their granny.

"Granny’s fine, but…"

"But?" 

"Well, the old barn? It’s filled with piglets. Piglets wearing costumes. Hats. Bows. Tags that say, 'To Adam from Cajun Claus'."

Adam stood there a second, teeth in his mouth. 

Wow.

Just… 

Wow.

"I guess I need to make them a pen."

He headed for the barn before his brother could start screaming again, the chuckles just beating their way out of his chest.

Pigs.

Pigs with hats.

God, he loved that man.

***

Landon and Adam are the newest Roughstock boys in Fais Do Do

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Eighteen -- Landon/Adam

"Sister?" Landon whispered into his phone. "What can I get Adam for Christmas, huh? He got all the things."

"Uh. You maybe could buy him a pig. He ain’t got pigs, do he?"

"No. No." Did guys get their lovers pigs? Should it be a baby pig or a growed pig? An eating pig or a making babies pig?

Oh.

Oh!

Iff’n he got Adam lots of pigs, Adam could have babies AND eating!

"Smartest girl. I’ll fetch a passel of 'em."

"Remember to decorate them."

Right. Pigs with bows.

Excellent.

***

Landon and Adam are the newest Roughstock boys in Fais Do Do

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Seventeen -- Jessie/Ezrah

Jessie leaned against Ezrah, breathing in air tinged with delicious smoke. "You ever miss it, living out there?"

He didn’t. He was home, surrounded by magic, by hope, by eternity, and more importantly, by his Ez. Still, the snow was falling outside the windows and that meant that Christmas was either coming or gone.

"Nope. I got everything a man could need, right here." Ezrah’s face was relaxed, lax, and they swayed together, the rest of their clan moving with them.

"Right here." He smiled. Maybe the flakes falling outside were just ash.

***

Jesse and Ezrah live in New West.

 

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Sixteen -- Biscuit and Jonesy

CB stretched out on the deck chair, the sun pouring down on him. This whole cruise-for-Christmas tradition was vaguely amazing. Food, sleep, sex, and sunshine. He approved.

"Babe, you want to go horseback riding on our excursion?"

He cracked an eye, lips twisting. "Only if you want Santa to bring his favorite medical man an ice pack and pain pills instead of blow jobs…"

"Ah. Right. Sit on the beach and drink margaritas?"

That was better. "Ho ho ho."

***

CB and Jonesy’s story is in Give It Time.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Fifteen -- Hollis/Jeremy

Hollis stared at his lover. "I’m not eating that. It’s Christmas."

It was tofu masquerading as chocolate.

To. Fu.

"It’s yummy." Jeremy’s eyes were dancing, laughing at him, the little fuck.

"Yummy, my ass."

"Well, yeah. Totally. Have some." The jiggly bowl was pushed toward him and Hollis backed up a step, shaking his head. 

"No way. Have you tried it?"

"I don’t…"

"Oh!" The little hesitation was all he needed and he pounced. "You have to eat it first!"

That was the agreement. Hollis didn’t have to eat it if Jeremy-the-personal-trainer-of-death didn’t.

Jeremy rolled his eyes, stuck his middle finger in the goo and sucked it clean.

Managed not to make too bad of a face, too.

"Is it good?"

"Eh." The whole tub was tossed in the sink. "Your ass is better." 

***

Hollis and Jeremy are rocking it out in Living in Fast Forward.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Fourteen -- Jason/Bax (part 7)

Jesus Christ on a candy cane, Christmas had exploded on their house.

Andy wandered around. Everything was spotless and sparking, the lights glowing. There was a huge pan of rolled enchiladas on the counter, along with queso and chips and there was a fucking cherry pie, too.

Crazy.

Jase hired folks to do this.

Whoa.

Jason was sitting in the kitchen at the table, staring off into nothing, face unhappy and quiet. "Is the tree right? I gave them money to make it right."

"It looks great, Mini. You hungry?"

"I could be, yeah."

He needed to get Jason something to do, something where he didn’t have to see.

He was going to have to call Doc. Jason had done his part to make it right. Now Bax would man up and do his, damn it.

"There’s enchiladas and stuff. You want to get plates?"

Jase stood, but shook his head. "No. I want you, Bax. I mean, not the fucking, you."

"Yeah." He went to his cowboy and held on. He didn’t know how to fix it, but he would or he’d kill someone trying. "It’s okay, Mini. We’ll figure shit. We always do."

And if they couldn’t, well, fuck, they had about a million cowboys more than willing to figure it for them. They were lucky that way.

***

Jason and Bax are the start of the Roughstock series with Blind Ride.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Thirteen -- Jason/Bax (part 6)

"Senor Scott? Supper is on the counter, the laundry is done and I’m heading out. I’ll be back on Monday at noon and every weekday, si?"

"Sounds good, Brenda." He reached out, hand patting Bax. "This is Andy, he lives here, too. Andy, This is Mrs. Garcia."

"Brenda, please. EZ is going to be coming too, to help out."

Jason nodded. Both Gramps and Dillon had agreed with Beau. They needed outside help with the weird shit and there wasn’t no shame in it.

Except there was, sorta.

A lot.

Still, he had to cowboy his ass up and get them folks to work and then he’d have to… learn stuff. Be useful and all.

Right?

Right.

Andy made the appropriate 'pleased to meet you' noises, then she was gone, leaving them on the front porch. "I hired her for the weekdays. I figured we can handle two days."

"Course we can." Bax took his hand. "I’m fucking sorry, Mini. That was shitty of me and I didn’t mean it."

"Sure you did. I’m broke dick."

"Bullshit you are!" The words exploded out of Bax. "You can  ride, you can play your guitar, you got money. Hell, you fool, you… you’re fucking MINE."

"No, you’re fucking me, remember? At least usually. You don’t love catching."

Bax’s teeth clacked together and then the laughter started, hard and wild. "Bastard. Asshat. Butthole."

Jason nodded, but he smiled and this time he felt it inside. "Yeah. But at least I’m not a turdmonkey like you."

***

Jason and Bax are the start of the Roughstock series with Blind Ride.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Twelve -- Jason/Bax (day 5)

Andy Baxter sat in his truck and stared.

He’d been gone all fucking day and now it was pitch black, except his house sure as shit wasn’t.

There was a carpet cleaning van with a hose in the front door, enough lights covering the house to signal aliens from outer space, a huge tree in the front window, and about three cars he’d never seen before.

Huh.

Maybe Jason had set something on fire again.

He grabbed his phone and called his Jase.

"'lo?"

"Mini?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are you?"

"Sitting on the back porch waiting on you to come in. I heard your truck. Do you like the lights?"

"There’s lots, yeah. Who’s all the folks?"

"Brenda and EZ and their kids from down the road. She’s gonna be our housekeeper and he’s gonna help with fixin’ shit. The kids offered to clean the carpets."

Andy got out of the truck, headed to the house, more confused than irritated. "A housekeeper?"

"Uh-huh. So you don’t have to take care of things so much." Jason sighed and Andy could see the way those thin lips would tighten. "I know it’s no good, being stuck with me. This way you got less to do."

"Now, Mini…" He didn’t go inside; he just walked around, moving faster. "I don’t think that, not once."

"I just… I want to be a good thing."

"Oh, Mini." He turned the corner at a run. "Man, you’re the best thing, every time. I swear to God."

The very best thing, Christmas or not.

***

Jason and Bax are the start of the Roughstock series with Blind Ride.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Eleven -- Jason/Bax (part 4)

"Dillon, that you?"

"It’s who you called, Jason." Dillon Walsh was such a smart ass. Guess that was why he was a clown.

"Oh, good." He slumped on the front porch steps, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I need help."

"Name it."

"I need to call folks — someone to clean, someone to decorate, someone to cook. Beau says I got to stop living like I’m broke dick." They could hire someone to do things, right?

"Okay. How can I help?"

"I don’t know how to find folks. I don’t know what to do and Bax is…" Gone because I broke Christmas. "…off having a drive."

"Okay. So a housekeeper/cook, lights and tree decoration. That it?"

"Uh-huh." Bax liked to mow and he liked helping.

"That’s doable." He heard the sound of a keyboard clacking and he closed his eyes, hating that he needed help with every little thing and not knowing how to make it all right again.

Maybe this was the start.

***

Jason and Bax are the start of the Roughstock series with Blind Ride.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Ten -- Jason/Bax (part 3)

"I fucked up, Bo-Bo," Jason said.

Beau snorted, spit. "Yeah, like I’m fucking surprised, Jay."

"Asshole. I broke the Christmas tree."

"Ah, bebe, why you do that for?"

He grinned, shook his head. "Are you channeling your granny, man? You sound like a bayou baby."

"Some. Can you fix it, the tree?"

"I cleaned it up. I… I think… I think maybe… I don’t know. I’m stuck, Beau."

"Bullshit. You want I should beat you? You got money, you got a phone, you got a brain. Quit this shit and call someone over to decorate and make things nice, order a feast, and y’all stop living like you ain’t got a pot to piss in."

"Or a window to throw it out of?"

"Yep. Get on the phone, Jay. Fix it. Or better, get on the phone and talk to Andy. Either way, do something."

He nodded, chewing his bottom lip,

Even if it was wrong.

***

Jason and Bax are the start of the Roughstock series with Blind Ride.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Nine -- Jason/Bax (part two)

"He’s lost his mind, Gramps. Like lost it." Andy drove hard, going too fast, smoke pouring out of his cigarette like a chimney. He sucked. So hard. He’d just been…

Damn it.

"What happened?"

"He threw the Christmas tree."

"Ah." Like Coke could possibly fucking understand from that sentence. Goddamn it. "You want us to come out that direction? We could be there in… nine hours, give or take."

"No. No, man. I just… I was an asshole. I know I was. I’m just… It’s never going to get better."

"No. And if you can’t deal with that, then you got to say so."

"I deal. I deal just fine. I love him, you asshole! It’s just hard, putting all the shit up when he can’t see it!"

"So? Don’t. If you don’t like it and he can’t see it."

"It’s Christmas!" He was going to lose his shit. "Fuck off! We need Christmas!"

"Well, then…"

He just slammed the phone down, banging his hands down on the steering wheel and screaming, over and over.

Why the fuck did Jase have to dream about the tree? Why couldn’t the man see him?

***

Jason and Bax are the start of the Roughstock series with Blind Ride.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Eight -- Jason/Bax (part one)

"Shit, dude, the lights on the tree are wonky. You’re fucking with me, I know it." He’d dreamed about the tree last night and it had been clear as a bell. 

Well, except for the whole the tree was playing Freebird on a flaming electric guitar. That part had been…odd.

"The lights are fine." There was a familiar stubborn note in Bax’s voice, flat and hard.

"No, they’re not." He could be stubborn, too.

"Look, asshole, if you want them changed, you do it. I’m tired of doing all this shit on my own so that no one but me gets to see it." Jason heard Bax’s teeth click together hard, like the man was biting the words back, but there wasn’t any taking it back, not a bit. "Jase, I…" 

"Don’t. Just go away, man. Get in your truck and go to Hell." Because he couldn’t.

"Tiny, I’m sor…"

"GET OUT!" He screamed the words, grabbed the poky needles of the tree and pulled, the sounds of things breaking satisfying as fuck.

"You selfish bastard." The words were just breathed and then the door slammed shut, leaving Jason alone with all the shattered holiday shit.

***

Jason and Bax are the start of the Roughstock series with Blind Ride.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Seven -- Bartholome and Rene

Rene looked at his mate, who was sleeping on the divan, long old legs dangling in front of the fire, fine erection making a tent. 

Silly Barthe, having a fire when the world was warm, just because it was the holidays. Silly mate, drinking of the green fairy and having dreams that slid down his spine, too.

His tail wagged, moving slowly side-to-side, before he pounced and landing in the center of all that mess. 

He’d waited enough for a hundred wolves. He was ready to chase the moon and be hunted.

***

Bartholome and Rene live in Absinthe (cowritten with Julia Talbot)

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Six -- Beau and Sam

"Cher? Cher, ou est le sapin?" Sammy's voice came ringing out, loud and sure and good enough it made Beau stop and blink.

"The Christmas tree? I was waiting on you, baby. To help me pull it out. It’ll be a two-man job." He nodded over. "You have a good afternoon with Landon?" 

"Mo bien, mesi." Sammy kept jabbering at him, ninety percent of the words in patois and Beau wasn’t sure what to do with that. 

"Baby, you hit your head or something?" Were you out riding?

"No." Sam stopped, closed his eyes. "Talking over Landon and the words worked for Cajun. New brain spots, yeah?"

"Well, I’ll be. Yeah, just like you can sing without stressing." He had to grin. Doc always just told him that the brain was a magical thing and to take what he got and be grateful. "Talk away, then. I got me enough of the old words to follow along."

Sam came to him, grinning. "Mo lame twa."

"Oh, I love you, too, baby. 

It was like a Christmas miracle, Sammy’s voice filling their house, that happiness just chasing him like a song.

*** 

Want more Beau and Sammy? They live in File Gumbo.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Five -- Sebastian and Markus

The Christmas lights were all white and the entire house glowed with it. Sebastian sat on a deck chair, looking. 

It was okay.

Sophisticated. Pretty. Sparkly.

White.

Still, the whole house was done and it was okay.

The curtains from the studio opened and Markus was standing there, stringing colored lights all through the room, the reds and purples and blues seeming to dance, laugh, reminding him of his maman, of her laugh. 

Sebastian watched until Markus was done, until he got a grin through the window and a guitar was hefted, the offer clear.

Oh.

Time to play.

"O Holy Night" drew him right in through the door.

***

Seb and Markus live in Fighting Addiction

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Four -- Gus and Sam

"Turn it off."

Gus looked at him like he was a fucking psychopath. "Huh?"

"The music. Turn. It. Off." Sam was already starting to twitch and jerk, his body remembering years of dancing, of choreography.

The expression on Gus’ face was utterly confused for a second, then he stared at the computer and a slow, lazy smile crossed the lupine face. "Oh. You gonna leap and jump for me, Puss?"

"I’m going to beat you, that’s what I’m going to do."

Gus’ grin just got bigger. "Uh-huh. Wow, big man, threatening a poor defenseless wolf."

"A poor defenseless wolf that needs to change the song before the Danse Chinoise starts." 

"Oh, I bet you’d make a cute little mushroom."

Sam was fairly sure Gus was on the floor and the music was off before he knew what hit him.

***

Sam and Gus are featured in Just like Cats and Dogs

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Three -- Galen and Shane

"Galen? Galen, where the fuck is the wasp spray?"

Shane came stumbling in, glaring, covered in… Oh, dude. "Find a nest, darlin’?"

"Don’t make me hurt you. I was getting the decorations down. It was like being attacked by a million pissed of…" Shane stopped, shrugged. "It was just like it was! Angry stinging things!"

Yeah, and there was some swelling like whoa.

Like Jesus Christ Shane’s left eye just disappeared. Creepy.

"Tell you what, I’ll get you a Benedryl and a beer and I’ll call Rick. He’ll spray. You need to…" Deflate. "…plan where the tree is going to go."

"Same place it always goes. In front of the window." Shane let Galen walk him back to the tub, get him stripped and medicated and soaking, still fussing about how the wasps built nests in the creche and that if those little flying fucks stung the baby Jesus Shane was going to go nuclear.

Galen waited until the ranting turned into a dozy version of Rudolph the Horny Reindeer, then he went to call Rick and then look up wasp stings on Google. Maybe they should just go up to the Walmart and buy a bunch of palm tree lights for the deck... 

***

Galen and Shane’s story starts in Rain and Whiskey

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day Two -- MJ and Sonny NSFW

"Precious?"

MJ arched an eyebrow, peered over at Sonny who was sitting on the deck, baking in the sun. "Hmm?"

"The romance is gone. You haven’t tried to shoot me in well over a month."

MJ frowned, adjusted his sunglasses. "I bought you an Impala."

"Uh-huh. And that sweet cherry Thunderbird, but still…"

"I’m not ass-fucking you with my piece, Sunshine. If you’re bored, we’ll dock somewhere and buy tinsel. You can decorate the fucking boat." It was a reasonable compromise. Sonny always got a little weird around the holidays. Inherent Christian guilt or something. 

"Can I tattoo a Christmas tree on your dick?"

He thought about it. "No."

"Dream killer."

"That’s me. I will let you tattoo a star."

"On your dick?"

He nodded. "Means I can’t fuck you ’til it heals."

"You can bottom. It’ll be incentive." Sonny hopped up, all grins. "I’ll get everything ready, then we’ll dock and make with the jingle bells."

MJ rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Fa la fucking la."

***

MJ and Sonny start their story in Racing the Moon.

ADVENT CALENDAR -- Day One -- Coke and Dillon

I have to tell y’all, I couldn’t make my living doing this without my readers and I give thanks for you every day. 

Here’s my gift for y’all. 31 days of holidays with my boys. 

***

Day One

for TA

Coke looked at the roof, at the way it tilted to the left. 

Huh. That couldn’t be good 

He sighed and looked over at Miss Georgia, lips twisting a little bit. "Well, ma’am. That storm did a number, she did."

"Is it fixable?"

"Oh, darlin’, everything’s fixable, especially near Christmastime. Let me crawl on up there and give her a look see." 

She nodded, cotton candy hair bobbing. "I’ll make you some cookies."

"That’d be a kindness." He headed to the barn to get a ladder, grabbing his phone as he did. "Hey, cowboy. I got to be here a bit."

"Don’t get on the roof." Dillon’s voice was clipped as fuck.

"What?" He blushed hot, his cheeks just burning. 

"I know you. You’re going for the fucking roof. I’ve already called Allan. He’s heading there now to work on the roof."

"But…" That was a touch eerie.

"I mean it, Coke. No roof. I hear from Allan that you’re on the ladder and there will be no blow jobs, no hand jobs. Nothing. No. Booty."

Oh. Ow.

"That’s cheating."

"You know it. Go have cookies and coffee and then come home. I need help putting up lights."

Coke had to grin — he had to. It was a good thing, to love and be loved beyond all things, even if it irritated the living fuck out of him. "I’ll be home in an hour or so, then."

"Good. Remember, I can see her roof from the porch."

Coke was laughing hard as he hung up the phone. Lord have mercy on old cowboys and clowns.

***

Coke and Dillon have their beginning in Roughstock: Season One — And a Smile